Anthony Peregrine is based in France and has reported from there for 20 years or more. He also visits as much of the rest of Europe as he can.

Why go?

Simple: to stroll the most graceful streets in France, eat well, drink better and then have the liveliest possible time in a city lately in touch with its Latin side. In the past, the place was indeed full of good taste and tradition. “The very essence of elegance,” concluded HM Queen last time she visited Bordeaux. The centre had a grandiose 18th-century harmony unmatched in Europe. It seemed quite possible that the French Revolution never made it this far.

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Go to stroll the most graceful streets in France, eat well, drink better and then have the liveliest possible time in a city lately in touch with its Latin side.

Poor people looked rich and rich people didn’t look at all. But the city felt haughty and aloof. It had also grown shabby round the edges. No longer. Bordeaux has had the renovators in with a vengeance – restoring noble façades, installing trams and reclaiming from dereliction the vast swathe of riverbank. There are few more graceful urban sights in France than the miroir-d'eau reflecting the splendid Palais-de-la-Bourse.

Culture, once all bow-ties and long frocks, has now embraced hip-hop. You may still wear collar studs to the Grand Theatre, but nose studs are rife in the bars and clubs of the St Pierre district or down on the Quai Paludate strip, where only dead-beats duck out before dawn.

This remains the world HQ of wine and château-owning folk. Many do their business in the Chartrons district, where there’s a lingering air of aristocratic commerce. But there’s also a cracking museum of modern art next door, tapas bars up the road and fusion food in the restaurants.

Welcome, in short, to the Bordeaux nouveau. It offers the ancient dignity but with added zest and fruitiness. For immediate drinking.

When to go

There’s never a bad time to visit Bordeaux. It’s a city, and so not seasonal in its attractions. I’d go whenever you’re free. Autumns and winters are generally mild, and may even be sunny. I’ve eaten lunch outside in January (though I’ve also been soaked to the skin a few days later; dampness is part of the deal.) Spring is lovely – but, then, it is everywhere – and summer may be as hot as anywhere in France. Note that some restaurants shut midsummer. They want their holidays, like everyone else.

Bordeaux remains the world HQ of wine and château-owning folk.

ALAMY

Getting there

Flights

The simplest way of getting to Bordeaux is probably by air. British Airways (0844 493 0787; ba.com) flies from Gatwick. EasyJet (0905 821 8905; easyjet.com) wings in from Luton and Gatwick year-round, with a Bristol service from April 4-October 23, 2014 and another from Liverpool from June 28-September 20. There's also a Saturday easyJet flight from Belfast, from June 28-September 20.

Ryanair (0871 246 0000; ryanair.com) has Stansted flights from February 6 - October 25, 2014, and an Edinburgh service from April 1-October 5. Meanwhile, Flybe (0871 7002000; flybe.com) has a Southampton service from May 17-September 6, while Monarch (08719 40 50 40; monarch.co.uk), flies from Birmingham from May-November 1. Aer Lingus (0871 7185000; aerlingus.com) flies from Dublin year-round.

Cruises

Bordeaux welcomes 15-20 cruise ships a year. Most tie up at the Quai Louis XVIII, by the Bourse Maritime (Maritime Exchange). Hostesses from the Office de Tourisme come aboard, ladling out all the necessary information. The other advantage is that you’re already almost in the city centre. From the boat to, say, the Place de la Comédie is a brisk 15-minute walk. If that sounds too much, there’s a tram service pretty much at the gangplank. So no need for special shuttles or, I’d say, taxis.

Rail

But don’t ignore the rail service. Though the shortest trip – from London via Paris – takes six hours, it is delivering you from one city centre to the other. Nor is there any of the hassle and hanging about that blights flying. Contact Voyages SNCF (0844 848 5848; voyages-sncf.com). It's the new incarnation of the old Rail Europe.

Bordeaux has some decent galleries and museums but the real appeal is the city itself.

Alamy

Transfers

From Bordeaux Airport (00 33 5 56 34 50 50; bordeaux.aeroport.fr), your cheapest bet is the Liane 1 bus service. For €1.40 (about £1.15), it will take you to the Quinconces stop in the city centre, from where trams will whisk you onwards, should that be necessary. Faster (around 45 minutes) and more direct, but also more expensive, is the Jet’Bus shuttle every 45 minutes from the airport’s Hall B to the city centre. It’s €7 one way, €12 return – with slight reductions for under-26s, over-60s and families of more than three. Under-5s travel free. A day-time taxi will cost you around €40, if traffic is fluid, which it frequently isn’t. Bump that up considerably after 7pm.

And, in recent times, a motorbike taxi service has kicked off. Tramoto (00 33 631 866312; tramoto.fr) will whirl you from airport to city centre on a Honda Goldwing 1800 for around €45.

Getting Around

Public transport

Though only a medium-sized city in world terms (France’s eighth, by population), Bordeaux is quite spread-out. The epicentre is easily walkable, but you might like public transport to explore the riverfront fully, or to get to outlying areas. You’re in luck. The place has a fine network of buses and, especially, of trams (00 33 8 20 00 88 88; infotbc.com). A one-trip ticket – usable for an hour, including changes – costs €1.40. Probably better to buy a day pass for €4.30 or a five-trip pass for €5.90. Get them from the distributors at tram stations or the Office de Tourisme (00 33 5 56 00 66 00) at 12 Cours du XXX Juillet.

Car hire

As ever in a city, a car is a perfect nuisance. If you’ve flown or railed in for a short break, I wouldn’t dream of hiring one. Should you need to get out of town briefly, use public transport. However, you may wish to explore more widely – in which case, by all means take a car from the airport. Most of the big companies are there, and HolidayAutos (0871 472 5229; holidayautos.co.uk) generally has competitive rates.

The place has a fine network of buses and, especially, of trams.

ALAMY

Bikes

Bordeaux is pretty flat, so a bike might also answer your needs. The city’s VCub cycle scheme has 1,500 cycles at 140 stations round town. You can join up for a day for €1 (82p) or a week for €5 (£4) either on-line at vcub.fr or at any of the 80 stations equipped with the relevant machines. Take your bank card along and follow the simple instructions. The first 30 minutes are free, then it’s €2 an hour.

Don’t forget to validate transport tickets in the machines on board each bus and tram you take.

For an overview of the city, the daily guided tours run by Bordeaux Tourism are well worth considering. All are two hours long. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, they start with a 90-minute bus trip round the city, followed by half an hour walking. On other days (including Sundays), they’re entirely on foot. Commentary is in English and French. They set out at 10am from the Office de Tourisme, 12 Cours du XXX Juillet. Price of both is €9 per person. Bump that up to €12.50 per person and you get a tasting of two wines thrown in, at the rather posh wine bar just across from the tourist office. Details of these, and other Bordeaux guided tours, onbordeaux-tourisme.com.

Currency: EuroTelephone code: 00 33 5. (French telephone numbers are almost all 10 digits, starting with 0. When calling from abroad, knock of this initial 0 and substitute 00 33.)Time difference: +1 hourFlight time: London to Bordeaux is around 90 minutes

Local laws and etiquette

French law requires that you always have personal ID about your person, so keep your passport on you.

If driving, you must have a fluorescent yellow bib in the car. It’s to be put on should you break down on a busy road and need to be visible to other motorists – and it’s a legal requirement.

When introduced to someone, shake him or her by the hand. All that cheek-kissing comes a little later (considerably later between men), when acquaintance has been struck up. Note that, when offered something (a fill-up of your wine glass, more bread, a minor treat), simply saying “Merci” indicates refusal, as in “No, thank you”. This is quite different from British practice, where saying a simple “Thank you” implies acceptance, as in “Yes, thank you”. So, if you want your wine glass filled or more bread, don’t say: “Merci”. Say “Oui, s’il vous plait.”

Round-the-clock snacking is far less common in France than in the UK – as is eating or drinking in the street. French practices are loosening, but you’re still unlikely to draw admiring glances if you’re walking along at 4pm with pizza in one hand, a can of beer in the other.

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